Grower Group Alliance
Grower Group Alliance

Drone mounted species recognition

Project overview

This project aimed to demonstrate that a drone mounted species recognition system could be used to locate and visually record feral animal species that contribute negatively to total grazing pressure.

Total grazing pressure is the ratio of the demand for pasture to the supply of pasture available. Demand can come from livestock and native or feral animals and is the leading cause of environmental degradation in the Southern Rangelands.

GPS positioning of feral animals will allow economic removal in the short term by pastoralists or biosecurity groups and long-term monitoring will provide a data base of feral animal movements and their interactions with other livestock and their environment.

This technology will be particularly important in times of low feed availability, such as low rainfall years or drought, since it will greatly assist the management of non-domestic grazers and enable better rangeland management.

Impacts and Results

This project demonstrated that a drone can be used successfully to identify various animal species. Due to seasonal conditions the research team were unable to locate some of the larger pests such as feral dogs and camels. Instead they switched to detecting and identifying smaller species (birds, rabbits), which are more challenging and further proved the capability of the technology.

This technology may lead to economic benefits by reducing costs associated with feral animal monitoring and targeted management. The impact is likely to focus on improved livestock body condition from more feed, reduced infrastructure damage, targeted control, and industry revitalisation.

Environmentally, such information could help to decrease total grazing pressure, mitigate land degradation, and enhance animal welfare. Additionally, biosecurity benefits include fewer feral animals and diseases, ensuring food chain integrity.

 

This project was funded by the Australian Government’s Agricultural Innovation Hubs Program and was initiated through the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub.

FAQs

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

News

  • Article, Transformation Whole

Transforming waste into value: a circular solution for the potato industry

Australia’s potato processing sector generates significant volumes of organic waste -mainly from the peeling and sorting of potatoes used in the production of French fries and other value-added products.
Read more
  • Article, Field Notes, Innovation Farmanco, PropaGATE, Regional Nodes, Showcase, Transformation Murdoch, Transformation Whole, X-hub Contour Consulting

Watch the presentations from the Drought Resilience Showcase

The SW WA Hub's Drought Resilience Showcase 2024 brought together farmers, grower groups, researchers, agribusinesses, and government agencies who are committed to enhancing the resilience of Western Australia’s agricultural sector. Watch the video recordings from the day's presentation.
Read more
  • Article, Transformation ECU, Transformation Farmanco, Transformation Murdoch, Transformation UWA dams, Transformation UWA Natural Capital, Transformation Whole

Transformational projects make strides towards agricultural resilience in WA

Six transformational projects led by the SW WA Hub and funded through the Future Drought Fund (FDF) are making meaningful strides toward long-term agricultural resilience in Western Australia.
Read more
  • Media Release, Innovation Farmanco, PropaGATE, Regional Nodes, Showcase, Transformation Murdoch, Transformation Whole, X-hub Contour Consulting

The South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub Hosts Successful Showcase and Field Tour

The South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub hosted its inaugural Showcase and Field Tour on Wednesday and Thursday 11-12 December 2024. The event brought together farmers, grower groups, researchers, agribusinesses, and government agencies who are committed to enhancing the resilience of Western Australia’s agricultural sector.
Read more
  • Article, Transformation Whole

From spuds to stockfeed: tackling agricultural waste

Early trials showed that treated potato waste could replace barley in animal feed without compromising nutrition. However, challenges such as high moisture levels and bacterial content have highlighted the need for practical solutions to make the process more cost-effective for large-scale use.
Read more
  • Article, Transformation Whole

Transforming potato waste into nutrient-rich feedstock

Agtech company Whole Green Foods is using a zero waste, enhanced nutrient extraction technology to turn potato waste into feedstock as part of a transformational project with the SW WA Hub. The primary goal of this project is to offer a novel, highly nutritious animal feed to replace or complement existing grain feed.
Read more

Resources

Sustainable transformation of waste from the potato industry into novel feedstock

This project focused on the sustainable transformation of waste from the potato industry into a novel feedstock to replace or complement existing grain feed. The project also aimed to cut carbon emissions by improving efficiency and repurposing potato waste.
Read more

Resources

Testing of the drone technology occurred on three properties in the Murchison region. Photo: Autonomous Technology
The drone can detect feral herbivores, such as camels, donkeys and kangaroos (pictured). Ambient heat can be seen on the ground area where kangaroos have been lying down (or even standing) for long periods of time. Photo: Autonomous Technology
L-R: Daniel Kidd (GGA), Mayne Jenour (station owner), Nigel Brown (Autonomous Technology), Jo Wisdom (GGA).
Project team with then Minister for Agriculture and Food, Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mount Magnet, October 2020. L-R: Leanne Jenour, Nigel Brown, Mayne Jenour, Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Photo: SRPA.
Although the research team was not able to locate feral predators (wild dogs, feral cats) despite many hours of flying, they were able to profile smaller animals that are more difficult for the system to identify, such as birds (pictured) and rabbits. Photo: Autonomous Technology
Kangaroo faeces can be seen in this image, taken at an altitude of 8 metres, which shows the sensitivity of the thermal imagery. Photo: Autonomous Technology
Rabbits are more easily identified in highly vegetated areas in landscape at night. Photo: Autonomous Technology

Collaborators

Project Team

Nick Stamatiou

Whole

Warwick Bagnall

Whole

Nadia Coetzee

Whole

Lucy Tomassini

SW WA Hub

Contact

Nicholas Stamatiou

CEO and Co-Founder, Whole Green Foods
nick@wholegreenfoods.com.au
0421 330 498

Lucy Tomassini

Project Manager, South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
lucy.tomassini@gga.org.au

Start date:
23/06/2022
End date:
31/01/2024
Status:
Project lead:
Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance (SRPA)
Funder:
DAFF – Innovation Expansion Grants
Partners:
Autonomous Technology, RPAWA
Hub role:
Project sponsor, Project management
Commodity:
Livestock
Resilience type:
Relevant region:
Southern Rangelands
  • Start date:23/06/2022
  • End date:31/01/2024
  • Status Completed
  • Project lead:Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance (SRPA)
  • Founder:DAFF – Future Drought, Fund - GRANT NAME, Murdoch University, WA Agricultural Research Collaboration (WAARC)
  • Hub role:Project sponsor, Project management
  • Commodity: Livestock
  • Relevant region: Southern Rangelands